1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to computer-based systems for routing conductors through corridors on planar surfaces and in particular to a method for generating routing plans based on routing templates specifying corridor shapes and routing constraints.
2. Description of Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, designers commonly use computer-based routing tools to develop plans for routing conductors 1 between terminal edges 2 of devices 3 formed on planar surfaces such as for example liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels. Prior art routing tools automatically route conductors 1 after a user specifies an area 4 in which the conductors are to be routed, specifies positions of each object within the area forming a routing blockage 5, and specifies various constraints on the conductors 1 at terminal edges 2 including constraints on connection locations, minimum wire widths, minimum spacing of the nets conductors at the terminal edges 2, constraints on whether a connector end must be perpendicular to the terminal edge 2, and other constraints.
A designer will often want a routing plan to satisfy various constraints not just on the position and shape of the conductors at terminal edges 2 but also on the shape and path of each conductor between terminal edges 2. As shown in FIG. 2, to exercise more detailed control over conductor routing, the user can partition the conductors 1 into successive sections that are to extend between a series of user-defined “pseudo-terminal edges” 6 and direct the tool to route the conductors between pseudo-terminal edges 2 on a section-by-section basis. However it can be difficult and time-consuming for a designer to provide a routing tool with all of the information needed to define each routing project each time the user has a new routing project, particularly when the user must define numerous pseudo-terminal edges in order to gain detailed control over routing.
In some projects a designer may want all conductors 1 to have equal resistance. Referring again to FIG. 1, when an equal-resistance option is selected, a routing tool will make all conductors 1 routed between terminal edges 2 have equal resistance by adjusting the relative widths of conductors 1, making longer conductors wider than shorter ones. But if a user creates pseudo terminals 6 as illustrated in FIG. 2, the user must sum the conductor section resistances for each conductor 1 manually and make sure that every conductor will sum up to a same resistance value, a tedious and error-prone process.
It is not always easy for a user to modify a routing plan to accommodate a change in requirements. For example, referring to FIG. 2, it can be difficult and time-consuming for designer to reposition pseudo-gates 6 to accommodate a change in the position of one or more blockages 5.
What is needed is an automated routing system that allows more detailed user-control over conductor routing than prior art systems and which makes it relatively easy for a user to modify a routing plan created for one project for another project having somewhat different routing requirements.